I'm gonna start off by introducing myself. I'm originally from the ESPN boards, and unfortunately those guys tend to be idiotic bums who blame everything on the refs, and don't offer objective analysises, therefore I'm happy to be a member here.

Also, it's nice to see Illinois is represented well over here, considering all I hear back @ ESPN is either "Dee Brown overrated! or Dee Brown da bess! or Washington was handed the game or GORDON and Rose? Fab 2? Illanoy etc.."

Ok, so let us reminisce upon our past season, particularly postive and negative aspects which stood out to me.

Pros

Armstrong's emergence as a very good shotblocker, interior defense, and the ability to take the roll as a starting center.

Denham Brown's semi breakout season and acknowledgement for his clutch shots.

Rashad Anderson's re-emergence from his sloppy junior year and nationwide recognition for the sharpshooting.

Marcus Williams passing (self explanatory)

The second best regular season in Uconn history, though it is arguably better than '99.

The laptop incident, obviously, and questioning Calhoun's rather radical character into allowing for such a "small" punishment.

Rudy G**'s inability to vastly improve upon his game, and his shying away from contact. IMO he faced too much criticism, but from several analyses you can tell he wasn't completely ready to take over a game during crucial times. However, his midrange J was becoming more and more consistent, and his rebounding or hustle play wasn't disappointing either.

THe lack of cooperation among the team at times, the disinterest, the passiveness, the way two people would be involved in filling up the boxscore.

Interior Defense. Wayy overrated. Sure the team's rebounds and blocks are almost off the charts, but really man2man guys like Glen Davis, Jai Lewis, Will Thomas, Will Sheridan were abusing us with the classic dropstep, hooks etc.

Boone and Armstrong aren't necessarily a "FORCE" though the highlights normally shown on BSPN will give you that impression.

Adrien and Nelson seem to be more adequate when it comes to standing their ground.

Josh Boone, in general. Raised eyebrows freshman year, with the substitution for Meka. Didn't dissapoint soph year either. Has the size and athletic potential to become a great bigman, but apparently he doesn't regard offense as a facet of the game. Also, his effort and mental softness really stood out in games F.E. Syracuse with a LAUGHABLE 1-11 FG.

Ed Nelson. Was a great hustle player, and glued our team last year. Took over as our general anchor back in 05, and really inspired the team. The question is "WAS HE ON DECLINE AS A 21 YEAR OLD!?"

Marquette. Self-explanatory. A complete embarassment. However, I'm glad Novak and Dom James got the respect they deserved. Both of them are great collegiate players.

Marcus William's work ethic. Took him a while to get in shape. Seems disinterested at times. But when focused, he is the nation's top PG. However, it's not unanimous as some guys hype it out to be.